Introduction to Romanticism and Transcendentalism

Which of the following is a statement an American Romantic author would likely agree with?

• Civilization is the most important thing man can accomplish.

• Reason is more important than feelings.

• Individual freedom is a necessary thing.

• There is no such thing as the supernatural.

Why is this painting a representation of American Romantic art? List at least one characteristic that makes it a Romantic painting.

Which of the following are considered elements of Romantic literature? Check all that apply.

• A fascination with the vast, open frontier.

• An exploration of man's technological progress.

• An appreciation of the quest for beauty.

• Prescribing how man should act in society.

• Pervasive optimism, particularly in America.

According to the Romantics, nature is a source of (check all that apply):

• Knowledge of the primitive.

• Refuge.

• Danger and stress.

• Material to build civilization with.

• A revelation of God.

Transcendentalism is...

• fiction using desolate and remote settings with violent events

• an attitude toward nature, humanity and society emphasizing freedom and individuality

• philosophy which holds that basic truths can be reached through intuition better than reason

• authors representing events and social conditions as they really are with no idealization

Transcendentalism encourages:

• following the rules

• being like everyone else

• joining the majority opinion

• not conforming to what others do and say

Transcendentalists believed in:

• the Power of the Government

• the Power of Technology

• the Power of the Individual

• the Power of God

Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions corrupt the purity of the human soul.

• True

• False

What did transcendentalists believe about God?

• That going to church was a sure way to build a relationship with God.

• That religious authority interrupted the individual's connection to God

The Transcendentalists believed in self-reliance and free thought.

• True

• False